by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When Berkman Plaza opened this spring, it became Jacksonville’s newest riverfront address. In the process, Berkman also displaced the Annabelle Lee and the Lady St. Johns, the two river cruise ships owned by River Cruises, Inc.
Long before Berkman Plaza was finished, the Jacksonville Waterways Commission started looking into what to do with the two ships. Physically, there weren’t any options on the Northbank so the Commission, chaired at the time by City Council member Lynette Self, looked across the river.
Today, the Annabelle Lee and the Lady St. Johns tour the river by day and dock at the Chart House overnight. That situation seems to suit everyone except for the fact the mooring facilities at the Chart House need about $85,000 in upgrades and repairs. In an attempt to get the work done and keep River Cruises owner Dane Lucas in business, Self is sponsoring a bill that would use City funds for the repairs.
But it’s not a handout. Self said in exchange for paying for the work, the City would get a long term lease agreement with Lucas. That lease, over a four to five year period, would pay off the $85,000 debt the City will incur.
“The money will go for improvements to the water hook up, the electrical hook up and the dolphins, which are the moorings up against the Southbank Riverwalk,” explained Self, adding that some of the pilings currently in place are beat up and need to be replaced.
The two ships primarily offer afternoon river cruises and evening outings. Self said the Chart House site was the only location that already had the basic facilities and provided water deep enough for the ships to dock regardless of the tide. The ordinance, which is still in the Council’s Finance Committee, was introduced in late March. But the issue has been around longer than that.
“We’ve been working on it for over a year,” said Self, who spent three years as chair of the Commission.
“It was an opportunity to help a lot of people all over the county,” she said. “As a district Council person, you focus on the needs in your district. Land use and water use are countywide issues. It’s nice to know what’s going on all around the county. And the people on the Commission are so good. They really care about the river.”
Self said she isn’t sure how long it will be until the work begins. She plans to revise the ordinance one more time before submitting it to Council again. Before the funds can be dispersed, the Finance Committee and the full Council must approve the ordinance.